Separable insulated connectors provide an electric connection between components of an electric power system. More specifically, separable insulated connectors typically connect sources of energy—such as cables carrying electricity generated by a power plant—to energy distribution systems or components thereof, such as switchgears and transformers.
Two common types of separable insulated connectors that are used for this purpose are T-body connectors and elbow connectors. FIG. 1 depicts a conventional T-body connector 100, and FIG. 2 depicts a conventional elbow connector 200. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the names of the two types of connectors describe their shapes.
Conventional elbow connectors 200 and T-body connectors 100 are installed into electric power systems according to similar steps. Thus the connections described and illustrated herein with respect to a conventional T-body connector 100, such as the one shown in FIG. 1, are largely applicable to a conventional elbow connector 200, such as the one shown in FIG. 2.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a cable 102 is inserted into the bottom of a conventional T-body connector 100. The cable 102 is first inserted into a cable adapter 104, which is then inserted into the T-body connector 100. Conventional separable insulated connectors often use cable adapters 104 to increase the variety of cables that can be used with the connector. Each cable adapter 104 can be designed to accept a range of cable widths, each width within the range being sufficiently narrow to fit within the opening provided in the cable adapter 104 and sufficiently wide to be secured within the opening in the cable adapter 104. Each separable insulated connector can then be designed to accept a range of cable adapter 104 widths, thereby enabling each separable insulated connector to accept a large range of cable widths. Conventional cable adapters 104 can include an insulating material 104a and a semi-conductive material 104b, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Once the cable adapter 104 is inserted into the T-body connector 100, the cable 102 connects to the T-body 100 at a compression connector 106, which crimps the cable 102, holding it in place and allowing power to transfer from the cable 102 to the T-body 100. The compression connector 106 is in turn connected to an output extension 108 within a bushing 110. Then, the bushing 110 is connected to a switchgear, transformer, or other energy distribution component. Thus, the T-body 100 enables energy to be transferred from the cable 102 to an energy distribution system.
Separable insulated connectors, such as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may need to be removed from the energy distribution system for a variety of reasons. One common reason is that the connectors sometimes fail, for example due to a power surge or a fault with the connection to the cable 102. Another reason is that the operators of the energy distribution system may want to change the type of switchgear or transformers to which the insulated connectors are connected, which could necessitate a change in the type of separable insulated connector required. Regardless of the reason for removing the separable insulated connectors, such removal and the subsequent replacement with another connector has traditionally been a difficult task.
One particular difficulty with removing a conventional separable insulated connector arises because the cable 102 cannot be readily disconnected from the compression connector 106. The compression connector 106 may be used only one time, because it is compressed around the cable 102. Thus, the cable 102 inserted into the connector must be cut at some point along a portion of the cable 102 that was not inserted into the connector before installing a replacement connector. Then, when installing the replacement connector, the cut cable 102 may be too short to reach the compression connector 106 in the replacement connector, which would connect to the switchgear, transformer, or other distribution component.
Conventionally, splices have been used to extend the length of a cut cable to connect the cable to the replacement separable insulated connector, thereby providing sufficient length for the separable insulated connector to maintain a connection with both the cable and the distribution component. However, using a splice for this purpose presents several difficulties. Splicing a cable first requires stripping the insulation on the end of the short cable and connecting it to a first end of a splice. Then, another section of similar cable, which will serve as the extension, must also be cut. Both ends of the extension cable must then be stripped, with one end being inserted into a second end of the splice, and the other end being inserted into the separable insulated connector. Thus, the task of splicing in an extension cable sufficient in length to reach the replacement connector requires three separate stripping and connection steps, each of which can be a labor intensive and error prone process.
An alternative method of connecting a cable that has been cut to a separable insulated connector is to use a separable insulated connector with a longer body. Such a connector may be designed to be sufficiently long to reach a cable that a conventional separable insulated connector could not, while still being able to connect to the distribution component. However, manufacturing separable insulated connectors with longer bodies (and varying lengths) requires investing in new molds that would be used to manufacture the connectors with such an increased length. The production, purchase, installation, and use of these molds would thus result in a significant cost.
Therefore, a need in the art exists for replacing a separable insulated connector in an electric power system that addresses the disadvantages found in the prior art. Specifically, a need in the art exists for connecting a replacement separable insulated connector to a cable with a short length without the labor intensive and error prone process of splicing an extension to the cable. A need in the art also exists for connecting a cable with a short length to a separable insulated connector that has a body of a standard length, so as not to require the costly investment of new molds and processes for manufacturing separable insulated connectors with longer bodies.